Following George Michael 's death on Christmas Day 2016 at the age of 53, fans have been remembering his most enduring legacies.

The singer was a fierce champion of LGBT rights and famously came out in an interview in 1998 following his arrest for engaging in “a lewd act” in front of an undercover police officer in Beverly Hills.

But despite the fact George Michael admitted he "never had a problem with being gay", he felt he had to hide it for a heartbreaking reason.

In candid interviews, recorded a decade apart, he revealed how his mother's welfare was a key factor in keeping his sexuality quiet - and that he had spent half of his career being "accused" of having gay relationships.

George Michael and Shirlie (Image: Redferns)

When the star did fall in love with a man at the age of 27, he felt so indignant about the way he had been treated that he chose not to share this aspect of his personal life with the world.

But he didn't want to reveal his sexuality in a bid to protect his mother from heartache and didn't come out until after her death, when he was 34.

Speaking on Radio 4's Desert Island Discs in 2007, he explained: "So firstly, understand how much I love my family and that AIDS was the predominant feature of being gay in the 1980s and early 90s as far as any parent was concerned.

George Michael, lead singer of the pop group Wham!, at the Live Aid Concert in Wembley Stadium (Image: Getty)

"My mother was still alive and every single day would have been a nightmare for her thinking what I might have been subjected to.

"I'd been out to a lot of people since 19. I wish to God it had happened then. I don't think I would have the same career – my ego might not have been satisfied in some areas – but I think I would have been a happier man."

At 19 he came out to some people, including one of his two sisters, but friends advised him not to tell his parents.

His mother died in 1997 and George came out in an interview with CNN the following year, after his arrest for a public sex act.

In this interview, he described his indignance at how he'd been treated in the first few years in the spotlight.

George Michael with friend Boy George (Image: REX)

He said: "I spent the first half of my career being accused of being gay when I hadn't had anything like a gay relationship.

"In fact I was 27 before that happened to me.

"So I spent my years growing up being told what my sexuality was 'really', you know.

"Which was kind of confusing. And then by the time I'd kind of worked out what it was and I'd stopped having relationships with women, I was just so indignant at the way I'd been treated until then.

"I just thought, 'well, I'll hold on to this. I don't think they need to know, I don't think I should have to tell them. But, you know, this is as good a time as any."

Princess Diana meets George Michael and Mick Hucknall at a rock concert for World AIDS Day at Wembley (Image: Getty)

He also stressed that his music had never been a lie and he had never intentionally hidden anything from his fans.

George added: "I do want people to know the songs I wrote when I was with women were really about women and the songs that I've written since have been fairly obviously about men.

"So i think in terms of my work, I've never been reticent in terms of defining my sexuality.

"I write about my life and I want people to know - especially people who loved the earlier stuff, especially if they were young girls at the time or whatever - there was no bullsh** there."